Ewan didn’t speak though. Not for the entire drive back, except for when he stopped at a garage and bought them both coffees which she thought might have been a good sign. Maybe he felt better and was up for chatting more. But when she tried to engage him in any conversation, his answers were brusque and came in the form of one- or two-word replies.

She was almost relieved when they drove into Derry. By that stage, the whole sorry episode had started to upset her and she was afraid she might burst into tears. She couldn’t wait to see her mum, and Clara. She couldn’t wait to hug them. They had both cheered down the phone when she had called them earlier to tell them the news about the email. While she suspected Clara didn’t really understand what she was cheering for, it was just so lovely to hear her so excited. When she saw them in person, they would make her feel better, she was sure of it.

The closer they got to home, the more eager Jo was to be out of the car and away from the frosty atmosphere that now existed between her and Ewan. Relief flooded her when she saw the street sign which heralded she was just a few houses away from home.

‘This is me,’ she said, as Ewan pulled over. ‘If you want to come in, for a cup of tea or a coffee or whatever, you’re more than welcome,’ she told him while at the same time she prayed with all her might that he wouldn’t say yes. The roller-coaster ride of their weekend together had now hit another low point and despite the laughter and fun of the day before he now felt even less familiar to her than a stranger.

‘I really do have to get going to get to the airport on time. I’ve to return this car and, you know, that all takes time.’

She nodded, not convinced he was telling the truth.

‘Well, thank you for everything,’ she said. ‘I learned a lot and I really appreciate your generosity. Maybe we’ll bump into each other again. Especially if we have the same agent.’

‘Maybe,’ he said. He had manners enough to get out of the car and help Jo take her bag from the boot, but as soon as her case was dumped on the footpath he muttered a cursory goodbye and ‘Good luck with Graham’ before he was back in the driver’s seat and the car was moving at speed away from her house.

Jo lifted her case and when she turned around, she saw her front door open. She could see her mum, Auntie Mags, Clara and Noah, all grinning at her as Cliff Richard belted out ‘Congratulations’ from someone’s phone. Her mood immediately lifted, and the excitement she had felt first thing started to return.